This article examines the use of corporal punishment in public schools across the country, but especially in two schools in Fort Worth, Texas and Union County, North Carolina. It also examines the major decline in the use of corporal punishment in schools; however, it also talks about its revival in areas in the South. Twenty-eight states have banned the use of corporal punishment in public schools; but the practice of this form of punishment in the South and Midwest, is not only legal, but also encouraged. There has a been a recent movement to reinstate the use of corporal punishment. For example, a bill was presented in the Delaware state legislature to rescind the ban on corporal punishment, however it was killed. Corporal punishment was reinstated in Pike County, Ohio and in Laurel, Mississippi the school board reinstated corporal punishment, without parental consent. Despite its apparent revival, there are still millions of people who reject the use of this form of punishment, including Murray Straus, the director of the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire, who stated, "I believe we have reached the point in our social evolution where this is no longer acceptable, just as we reached a point in the last half of the 19th century where husbands using corporal punishment on their lives was no longer acceptable."
Although corporal punishment has recently begun to be encouraged in certain school districts in the South and Midwest, it is still in the minority in its use. For example, the use of corporal punishment and paddling has been banned in 70% of North Carolina school districts, in two of Dallas' largest districts, Plano and Frisco, and in Memphis. This article seems to accurately portray both sides in their defense of the use or ban of corporal punishment in schools. Although some parents do support the use of corporal punishment for the children, this article presents the opinion of parents and esteemed members of the media who do not agree with this philosophy.
This article is an opinion essay, written by Robert Kennedy, outlining reasons for why corporal punishment should be banned from schools, public and private. Kennedy actually co-founded a school in Nassau, Bahamas and as Vice Principal, he was forced to deal with discipline. The owner of the school, Dr. Elliston Rahming, a criminologist rejected the use of corporal punishment in his school. Although paddling and corporal punishment are the norm in the Bahamas, Kennedy instead developed a Code of Discipline that would encompass all school rules and the enforcement of these rules. He goes on further to talk about the use, or lack there of, of corporal punishment in most public schools. He talks about how most private schools frown on the use of corporal punishment, because "there are simply more enlightened methods for dealing with disciplinary issues." Private schools use honor codes and explicit consequences laid out through contracts in order to implement discipline. Instead of abusing children to enforce rules, private schools use suspensions or expulsions. However, the most important difference between private and public schools is the fact that students in private schools have almost no legal recourse in the case of suspension or expulsion.
This article is very interesting because the author is a school administrator who has direct involvement with school discipline. His entire article advocates for a ban on corporal punishment and implementation of discipline similar to that of private schools. As a student in Montreal, he himself dealt with "strapping." He also experienced cuffing and rapping of knuckles. I think he took this experience as a student and applied to his life as an administrator. I think it paints an accurate picture of life in private schools. Having gone to a private school, I know first hand that corporal punishment is not used.
Summary Article
Mawdsley, R. D. (2000). Legal Problems of Religious and Private Schools. Fourth Edition. Monograph Series, No. 65. , 296.
This book is an interesting examination of rules and punishment in private schools. It also talks about the legal difficulties faced by administrators and teachers within these schools. The author, Ralph Mawdsley, discusses a wide variety of topics within his book, including corporal punishment and abuse of students by school employees. The book is, in reality, a checklist for adminstrators on how to educate employees on how to deal with students in instances of discipline. It also relays the constitutional implications of discipline in private schools and how they relate and correspond to state laws banning corporal punishment in public schools. In general, private schools are forced to follow the state regulations set down by the legislature regarding corporal punishment in public schools. However, in certain states private schools are still allowed to use corporal punishment despite the ban from state legislature in their public schools. This book is very interesting in that attempts to educate school professionals on the right course of action to take in cases of disciplining students.
Private school teachers should definitely use this book as a reference in how to handle abnormal situations that will inevitably come up in the education profession. Ralph Mawdsley does an excellent job of examining each issue and explaining the correct and incorrect ways to approach the situation from many different viewpoints, including teacher, administrator and principal. The appropriate punishments and methods of handling the situation are also acknowledged. Veteran teachers probably have a better handle on how to handle situations like these, but for striving or recently hired teachers, this book could be a great piece of information on how to handle situations which are probably new to these kinds of people.
Journal Article
Gary D. Gottredson, Denise C. Gottfredson. (2001). What Schools Do to Prevent Problem Behavior and Promote Safe Environments - Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 12(4), 313-344. DOI: 10.1207/S1532768XJEPC1204_02.
This article comes from the "Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation" and explains the results of a survey taken by Gary and Denise Gottfredson from the University of Maryland. The survey conducted by the Gottfredsons surveyed principals from public, private and Catholic schools in order to determine the preventative measures being taken to prevent students from getting themselves into situations that require punishment to be enforced. 848 principals from schools across the country responded to an initial questionnaire sent out regarding preventative activities these principals had in place. Of those who responded to the first questionnaire, 75% (635) responded to the secondary survey, asking about implemented discipline practices. Their results include the following: "Results imply that schools engage in a large number of activities ranging from security and surveillance, through school climate change, to counseling and curricular or instructional programs." However, the researchers also determined that school administrators are possibly overusing the suspension as a means of discipline for students and should consider using other means of discipline. The researchers were very critical of the fact that not enough adequate research has been done on the effectiveness of these preventative programs.
Although rules and punishment are required, if not natural in any school setting, activities and policies to prevent children from entering into situations that requires punishment should also be required, if not natural. How will students avoid getting into trouble if schools do not introduce extracurricular activities and other school programs to help these students? Gary and Denis Gottfredson bring up a very important flaw in our educational system. We punish students who break the rules but we do not educate them on said rules or how to avoid breaking them? We need to make sure students know and understand the rules that are put in place to protect them. They also need to realize that teachers are there to protect the students and help the succeed.
Research Question: What are the differences in the rules and punishments between public and private schools?
Contributed by: John Manning
Reputable Source Article
Lyman, R. (2006, September 30). In Many Public Schools, the Paddle Is No Relic. The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/30/education/30punish.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=school%20punishment&st=cse.
This article examines the use of corporal punishment in public schools across the country, but especially in two schools in Fort Worth, Texas and Union County, North Carolina. It also examines the major decline in the use of corporal punishment in schools; however, it also talks about its revival in areas in the South. Twenty-eight states have banned the use of corporal punishment in public schools; but the practice of this form of punishment in the South and Midwest, is not only legal, but also encouraged. There has a been a recent movement to reinstate the use of corporal punishment. For example, a bill was presented in the Delaware state legislature to rescind the ban on corporal punishment, however it was killed. Corporal punishment was reinstated in Pike County, Ohio and in Laurel, Mississippi the school board reinstated corporal punishment, without parental consent. Despite its apparent revival, there are still millions of people who reject the use of this form of punishment, including Murray Straus, the director of the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire, who stated, "I believe we have reached the point in our social evolution where this is no longer acceptable, just as we reached a point in the last half of the 19th century where husbands using corporal punishment on their lives was no longer acceptable."
Although corporal punishment has recently begun to be encouraged in certain school districts in the South and Midwest, it is still in the minority in its use. For example, the use of corporal punishment and paddling has been banned in 70% of North Carolina school districts, in two of Dallas' largest districts, Plano and Frisco, and in Memphis. This article seems to accurately portray both sides in their defense of the use or ban of corporal punishment in schools. Although some parents do support the use of corporal punishment for the children, this article presents the opinion of parents and esteemed members of the media who do not agree with this philosophy.
Opinion Article
Kennedy, R. (2008). Corporal Punishment - 2 Reasons For Outlawing It. Retrieved December 5, 2008, from http://privateschool.about.com/cs/forteachers/a/beating.htm.
This article is an opinion essay, written by Robert Kennedy, outlining reasons for why corporal punishment should be banned from schools, public and private. Kennedy actually co-founded a school in Nassau, Bahamas and as Vice Principal, he was forced to deal with discipline. The owner of the school, Dr. Elliston Rahming, a criminologist rejected the use of corporal punishment in his school. Although paddling and corporal punishment are the norm in the Bahamas, Kennedy instead developed a Code of Discipline that would encompass all school rules and the enforcement of these rules. He goes on further to talk about the use, or lack there of, of corporal punishment in most public schools. He talks about how most private schools frown on the use of corporal punishment, because "there are simply more enlightened methods for dealing with disciplinary issues." Private schools use honor codes and explicit consequences laid out through contracts in order to implement discipline. Instead of abusing children to enforce rules, private schools use suspensions or expulsions. However, the most important difference between private and public schools is the fact that students in private schools have almost no legal recourse in the case of suspension or expulsion.
This article is very interesting because the author is a school administrator who has direct involvement with school discipline. His entire article advocates for a ban on corporal punishment and implementation of discipline similar to that of private schools. As a student in Montreal, he himself dealt with "strapping." He also experienced cuffing and rapping of knuckles. I think he took this experience as a student and applied to his life as an administrator. I think it paints an accurate picture of life in private schools. Having gone to a private school, I know first hand that corporal punishment is not used.
Summary Article
Mawdsley, R. D. (2000). Legal Problems of Religious and Private Schools. Fourth Edition. Monograph Series, No. 65. , 296.
This book is an interesting examination of rules and punishment in private schools. It also talks about the legal difficulties faced by administrators and teachers within these schools. The author, Ralph Mawdsley, discusses a wide variety of topics within his book, including corporal punishment and abuse of students by school employees. The book is, in reality, a checklist for adminstrators on how to educate employees on how to deal with students in instances of discipline. It also relays the constitutional implications of discipline in private schools and how they relate and correspond to state laws banning corporal punishment in public schools. In general, private schools are forced to follow the state regulations set down by the legislature regarding corporal punishment in public schools. However, in certain states private schools are still allowed to use corporal punishment despite the ban from state legislature in their public schools. This book is very interesting in that attempts to educate school professionals on the right course of action to take in cases of disciplining students.
Private school teachers should definitely use this book as a reference in how to handle abnormal situations that will inevitably come up in the education profession. Ralph Mawdsley does an excellent job of examining each issue and explaining the correct and incorrect ways to approach the situation from many different viewpoints, including teacher, administrator and principal. The appropriate punishments and methods of handling the situation are also acknowledged. Veteran teachers probably have a better handle on how to handle situations like these, but for striving or recently hired teachers, this book could be a great piece of information on how to handle situations which are probably new to these kinds of people.
Journal Article
Gary D. Gottredson, Denise C. Gottfredson. (2001). What Schools Do to Prevent Problem Behavior and Promote Safe Environments - Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 12(4), 313-344. DOI: 10.1207/S1532768XJEPC1204_02.
This article comes from the "Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation" and explains the results of a survey taken by Gary and Denise Gottfredson from the University of Maryland. The survey conducted by the Gottfredsons surveyed principals from public, private and Catholic schools in order to determine the preventative measures being taken to prevent students from getting themselves into situations that require punishment to be enforced. 848 principals from schools across the country responded to an initial questionnaire sent out regarding preventative activities these principals had in place. Of those who responded to the first questionnaire, 75% (635) responded to the secondary survey, asking about implemented discipline practices. Their results include the following: "Results imply that schools engage in a large number of activities ranging from security and surveillance, through school climate change, to counseling and curricular or instructional programs." However, the researchers also determined that school administrators are possibly overusing the suspension as a means of discipline for students and should consider using other means of discipline. The researchers were very critical of the fact that not enough adequate research has been done on the effectiveness of these preventative programs.
Although rules and punishment are required, if not natural in any school setting, activities and policies to prevent children from entering into situations that requires punishment should also be required, if not natural. How will students avoid getting into trouble if schools do not introduce extracurricular activities and other school programs to help these students? Gary and Denis Gottfredson bring up a very important flaw in our educational system. We punish students who break the rules but we do not educate them on said rules or how to avoid breaking them? We need to make sure students know and understand the rules that are put in place to protect them. They also need to realize that teachers are there to protect the students and help the succeed.
EDC 102 F08 Fnl Proj - John M